State v. Funnell’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “If non-court approved prepayments, such as those which [Father] suggests, were to be permitted, it would be possible for a parent, who is obligated to pay support, to build up a substantial credit, then suddenly refuse to make support payments for several weeks, months, or even years, thus thwarting the court’s purpose in setting the payments at certain specified intervals, that of providing regular, uninterrupted income for the benefit of that parent’s children, who are in the custody of another. The regularity and continuity of court decreed support payments are as important as the overall dollar amount of those payments.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Blume v. Stewart

2. “The trial court incorrectly treats the child support as an obligation from parent to parent.... Because the payor’s obligation is to the child and not the custodial spouse, the payor cannot withhold support payments to set off a debt owed by the custodial spouse.... Funnell, 622 N.E.2d at 190 (citations omitted).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Matter of Henady